Machine



(No Model.) a Sheets-Sheet 1. M. KOCH. QUILTING MACHINE Patented July 28, 1891.

Tu: wows rams :04, mow-mum msumsm-L u c.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.,

M. KOCH. QUILTING MACHINE.

Patented July 28, 1891.

(No Modl.) s Sheets-Sheet a.

M. KOCH. QUILTING MACHINE.

No. 456,726. Patented July 28, 1891.

30%5 liwpnfir 2 W ww fim UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MATTHIAS KOCH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE EXCELSIOR QUILTING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

QUILTING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 456,726, dated July 28, 1891.

Application filed February l 1888. Serial No. 263,560. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: the rock-shaft to the needle-bar by arms 5,

Be it known that I, MATTHIAS KOCH, of rigidly connected to the rock-shaft and i New York, in the county and State of New otally connected to links a, which are i York, have invented a certain new and use turn pivotally connected to vertical sliding 5 ful Improvement in Sewing-Machines, of rods a, working in suitable guides a in the which the following is a specification. frame. The needle-bar is rigidly secured to My improvement relates particularly to the rods a I sewing-machines designed for making quilted 'Upon the main shaft adjacent to the crank fabrics. a is an eccentric 0,", operating through an I0 I will describe in detail a sewing-machine eccentric-rod a and rock-shafta, t i t embodying my improvement, and then point motion to shuttle-drivers for operati th out the novel features in claims. shuttles, which are of well-know construe- In the accompanying drawings, Figure 11s tlon and not shown in the drawings. a plan or top View of a sewing-machine em- The usual resser-bar operated in the usual x5 bodying my improvement, a portion of the or any suitable manner is to be employed; same being shown in section, the section bebut I have not illustrated the same in order ing taken on the line 00 (B, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a to conduce to clearness in the drawings. vertical section of the machine, taken on the As the features thus far described do not plane of the dotted line y y, Fig. 1, and lookconstitute part of my invention, I have re- 2o ing in the direction of the arrows at the ends ferred to them thus briefly.

of said line. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of In this machine I provide means for prothe machine, taken on the plane of the line ducing a reversal of the direction of the feed .22, Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of of the goods. In other words, the feed-rollthe arrow at one of the ends of said line. ers rotate at certain times to cause the goods 25 Fig. 4 is a transverse section showing in deto be fed in the direction of their length in tail certain pattern-wheels for operating the one direction and at other times in the opposame, the section being taken on the plane site direction. By these means various patot the dotted line to w and looking in the diterns may be sewed upon the goods, for the rection of the arrow at one of the ends of reason that by combining the side-to-side 8c 30 Said fi Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate different movement of the carriage carrying the feedarrangements of needles and patterns which rollers and the reversed feed of the goodsmay be sewed by such arrangements. Fig. 7 rows or lines of stitching maybe sewed upon is adetail View of certain parts on an enlarged the goods in any desired direction.

l I willfirst describe the means for imparting 8-5: 5 Similar letters of reference designate correthe slde-to-side movement to the carriage in sponding parts in n h fi which the feed-rollers are mounted, premis-'- A designates the main shaft of the ma ing with a short description of the said car chine. Motion may be imparted to this shaft riage and the f eed-rollers. The carriage c by means of a belt upon the pulley A, rigprises two plates D D, arranged horizontally o 40 idly keyed upon the shaft A. The shaft is and from which extend vertical side portions journaled in suitable bearings a, mounted D 'D The side portions D D ma if 1 upon the bed of the machine, and also in upsired, be made or cast integral with the bedright portions 15 B, comprising parts of the plates D D. The plates D D are rigidly e011- stationary frame of the machine. nected together by means of a reach D ex- 5 Upon one end of the shaft A is mounted a tending beneath the plates D D and secured crank a. This crank imparts motion to a to said plates by bolt-s or otherwise. In the rock-shaft a through an intermediate crankportions D D of the carriage are mount d rod a The rock-shaft a is journaled in feed-rollers D D D D As shown, the f dsuitable hearings in the portions l3 B of the rollers l) D occupy a more elevated position mo. 50 frame, one of said bearings being shown more than the fcedn'ollers D l). A roller -D is clearly in Fig. Motion is transmitted from mounted in brackets extending downwardly from portions of the side frames 1) D and another roller D at the back of the machine is mounted in brackets D secured, as shown, to the plates D D of the carriage. The rollers D D constitute, respectively, delivery and take-up rollers, according to the direction in which the goods are being fed. I have shown the rollers D D geared together near one of their ends and the rollers D D also geared together near one of their ends,whereby motion is transmitted from one of said rollers to the other of the corresponding pair and the rollers are caused to rotate in unison.

The platesD D of the carriage are guidedin plate D of the carriage, has mounted upon itvertically extending projections f. These projections are arranged in' such position as to always bear upon the peripheries of certain pattern-cams C 0 by which the sideto-side movement of the carriage is effected and by which the degree and direction of such movement are controlled. One of said projections bears against the periphery of the cam (1 and the other against the periphery of the cam G On the main shaft A is a worm G, which worm engages a worm-wheel G, rigidly mounted upon a vertically-arranged shaft G journaled in suitable hearings in a bracket g, secured to the bed-plate of the machine. The pattern-cams C (I are rigidly keyed upon the shaft G and they and the worm-wheel G rotate in unison. One of the pattern-cams G 0 causes the movable carriage to be moved in one direction and the other of said cams causes the carriage to be moved in the opposite direction. This movement is effected by the rotation of the said cams. It will be observed that the peripheries of the cams C C are stepped. By this mode of construction an intermittent movement of the carriage for the goods is accomplished. It will also be observed that the peripheries of these cams are of uneven contour. This unevenness of the contour is-for the purpose of varying the de' gree or length of movement of the carriage in a given direction, so as to provide for variations in the figure or pattern being sewed upon the goods. These pattern-cams may be removed when desired and others substituted in their place for the purpose of effecting the sewing of other and different patterns. The portion D of the reach D has in it a longitudinal slot h, through which the shaft G extends, whereby provision is made for the free longitudinal movement of said portion D I will now describe the means by which the reverse feed of the goods is effected. E des-' ignates a shaft journaled in bearings 61, secured upon the bed-plate of the machine. To this shaft is keyed a ratchet-wheel 66'. Upon the ends of the shaft E are also keyed pattern-wheels O 0. Motion is transmitted to the shaft E and consequently to the patternwheels 0 O by means of an eccentric-rod d, which latter is pivotally connected with a rocking pawl-carrier d loosely mounted upon the shaft E andcarrying a spring-actuated pawl d adapted to engage the teeth upon the ratchet-wheel d. The construction of the parts is such that at each rotation of the main shaft A the pawl d d? will be caused to rotate the ratchet-wheel d a distance equivalent to the distance between two of the teeth on said ratchet-wheel. The motion of the ratchet-wheel, and as a consequence that of the pattern-wheels O O, is intermittent. I may here remark that the intermittent motions of the pattern-wheels O G O C are for the purpose of enabling the needles to remain for a sufficient time in the goods being sewed to effect the formation of the stitches through the co-operation of the shuttles. In this machine the pattern-wheel C is adapted for causing the rotation of the feed-rollers D D D D in a direction to feed the goods forward ortoward the rear of the machine beneath the needles, while the pattern-wheel C is adapted to cause the rotation of the rollers D D D D in a reverse direction, in order to cause the feed of the goods backward or toward the front of the machine.

J J are bars extending fore and aft the machine close to the pattern -wheels C 0.

.Each' of the bars J J is composed of two sectionsj j. The ends of the sectionj extend into sockets formed in the adjacent ends of the sections. A slight play of the sections j in the sockets upon the sections j is provided for, and the extent of such play is limited by pins 0 upon the sections j, extending through longitudinal slots 0 in the sockets upon the sections j. The longerof these sections j extend near their rear ends through guides 7' on a portion of the frame of themachine. Springsfi, surrounding the rods between said guides and shoulders j on the rods, tend to force the rods toward the front of the machine. The sections 7' bear near theirfront ends rollers or bowls 7' which may be acted upon by cams fj mounted on the main shaft to force the rods toward the rear.

Loosely hung upon shafts 6 e journaled in suitable bearings extending upwardly from the base of the machine, are arms 6. These arms bear pawls e near their free ends, which are adapted to engage the teeth on ratchet-wheels e e, keyed to the shafts e 6 respectively. The arms e have a loose connection with the sections j of the rods J J This connection consists of a pin (2 upon the sections j of said rods, which pin extends through longitudinal slots 6' in the arms 0. Also loosely hung upon the shafts e e are other arms 6". These arms have a connection IIO stitch.

with the sections j of the rods J J 2 similar to that described for the arms e. The upper ends of the arms a extend beneath the pawls e ,When these arms e are moved far enough in one direction, they will lift the pawls out of engagement with the teeth on their respective ratchet-wheels. When the ratchet- Wheel 6 is rotated, it transmits motion to the shaft 6 and to a gear-wheel a, mounted on a sliding section of said shaft, which section is journaled in bearings secured to the plate I) of the carriage. This sliding section is connected by means of a feather or spline with the main portion of the shaft 6, so that the sliding section may slide freely in the shaft 6' and at the same time will be rotated with said shaft. The gear-wheel e meshes with a gear-wheel 6 mounted upon a shaft 6 journaled in suitable bearings upon the portion D of the carriage. Upon the shaft 6 is keyed another gear-wheel e, which meshes with a gear-wheel e mounted upon a shaft 6 journaled in bearings on the portion D of the carriage. The shaft 6 bears a gear wheel e", which latter in turn meshes with an intermediate gear-wheel e The intermediate gear-wheel e meshes with two gear-wheels e and 6 The gear-wheel e is mounted upon the axle of the feed-roller D and the gear-wheel e on the axle of the roller D It will be quite evident that, according, to the direction in which the shaft e is rotated, the rollers D D D D will be rotated, so as to cause the feed of the goods either forward or backward.

I have shown the intermediate gear-wheel e as mounted upon a stud 23, extending through a longitudinal slot 19' in an adjustable bracket 9 The bracket 19 is loosely hung upon the shaft e, and its lower end is provided with an arc-shaped slot 10 with which engages a clamping-screw 19 The position of the gear-wheel e relatively to the gear-wheels c and e is maintained by means of a nut 19, by which the stud 9 may be clamped to the bracket 29 The means of mounting the gear-wheel e just described, admits of the use of gear-wheels e of different sizes, as one may be readily removed and another substituted in its place. In other words, when the wheel 6 is taken off and another substituted, then a different-sized wheel e may be introduced between it and the wheels a 6 The slot in the bracket provides for the proper adjustment of the wheel substituted for the wheel a, and the rocking of the bracket 19 also affords provision to accommodate the parts for the substitution of wheels. This substitution of wheels provides for a change in speed of movement of the fabric when it is desired to make a longer or shorter The rotation of the shaft 6 in one direction is occasioned through the operation of the pawl e acting upon the ratchet-wheel e, and the rotation of the shaft 6 in the other direction is occasioned by the operation of the pawl e acting upon the ratchet-Wheel e, and transmitting motion to said shaft by means of gear-wheels Z, mounted on the shaft e and Z, mounted on the shaft 6'. It is of course to be understood that when the pawl e is operating upon the ratchet-wheel e the pawl c which is adapted to operate with the ratchet-wheel c", has been moved into such a position by the arm c that it cannot act upon the said ratchet-wheel, and vice versa.

In sewing a figuresuch, for instance, as that which is illustrated in Fig. 1it is quite evident that it is essential that a variable motion should be imparted to the goods beneath the needles. In other words, the lines of stitches will sometimes be from side to side and other times in the direction of the length of the goods, and at other times will be a combination of these movements. The patternwheels C C are so constructed that they will cause the feed-rollers C C C C to rotate to feed the goods forward or backward only at such times and for such distances as is necessary in sewing a desired line of stitches in the direction of the length of the goods, while the construction of the pattern-wheels C C is such that they will cause a side-to-side movement of the carriage carrying the goods at such times and for such distances only as are necessary in sewing lines of stitches in the direction of the width of the goods. Of course if the two operations-that of feeding the goods forward or back and that of moving the carriage from side to side-occur simultaneously, the result will be a combined movement in which the rows of stitching sewed by the needles will result in curved lines in both the direction of the length of the goods and from side to side thereof. hen this combined movement transpires, it will be apparent that the deviation from lines running parallel with or at right angles to the direction of the forward feed of the goods will be very slight in some instance. In order to provide for these slight deviations and produce a symmetrical figure, I have, for convenience, divided each stitch into ten arbitrary. equal parts, so that the slightest deviation from a rightline which a stitch may take will equal one-tenth the length of a stitch taken at right angles to the line from which the first stitch deviates. Such deviation from a right line may equal any number of tenths of the length of a stitch which may be desired, according as the curve or angle of the pattern be slight or great. The deviations of the stitches from a rightline are produced as follows: Each figure of the pattern which I have illustrated contains one hundred and fifteen stitches. Each of the pattern-wheels C O C C is divided radially into one hundred and fifteen sections a, corresponding to the number of stitches in the pattern. Consequently when the patternwheels have made one complete revolution each of the needles has sewed a complete figure. wheels is equal to the length. of one of the Each separate movement of the patternsections on the periphery of the wheels. Each of said pattern-wheels is also divided into eleven sections a, which are formed by concentric circles whose centers are identical with those of the pattern-wheels. The combined width of the ten inner of these sections represents the length of a single stitch taken on the goods on a right line, and each one of these sections represents one-tenth of the length of a stitch. The periphery of each of the wheels is indented at intervals. The depth of each indentation corresponds to the number of tenths of the length of a stitch which it is desired that the stitch shall deviate from a right lineas, for instance, if an indentation equals the width of one of the sections 0, the stitch will deviate one-tenth the length of a stitch from a right line. If the indentation be equal to the width of five of the sections c', the deviation from a right line will be equal to five'tenths the length of a stitch, and so on.

I have previously referred to the patternwheels 0 C and the manner in which they operate to cause themovement of the carriage from side to side. It is but necessary to add in this connection that the uneven contour of the peripheries of these cams is such as may be found essential to the formation of the pattern to be sewed, and also that, while the cam G is moving the carriage in one direction through the constantly-increasing diametrical distance between the center of retation of said cam and the pin f with which it is in contact, the diametrical distance between the center of rotation of the cam G and the pin f with which it coact's is being pro po'rtionally decreased. In other words, the diametrical distance between the peripheries of the cams O C at the point where they contact with the pins f is always the same, no matter in which direction the carriage is being moved.

The indentations upon the peripheries of the cams C C are in the form of steps which are graduated in their depth according to the number of tenths of a stitch which it is desired the direction of the stitch shall deviate from a line parallel with the direction of the feed of the goods, and the peripheries of said cams may be so formed that no side-to-side movement will be imparted to the carriage if desired, or, in other words, so that lines parallel with the direction of the feed of the goods may be sewed. I wish it to be understood, however, that I do'n ot consider it wholly essential that the cams O C should be Stepped, as described. The indentations upon the peripheries of the cams O C are different in construction from those upon the cams 0 C as will be clearly seen' by a comparison of Figs. 1 and 3. Upon the sections j of the rods J J are pins or studsj These pins bear constantly upon the pattern-wheels, against which they are forced by the springs 7 As the pattern-wheels rotate, the pins j drop into the notches in the pattern-wheels. It will be perceived that as a pin drops into a notch the barj' j as the case may be, of which the pin forms part, is shot forward by the spring j causing the pawl-carrier e to rock and the pawl 6 which is immediately after actuated by the cam J 7 or J to rotate the ratchet-wheel e or 6 with which it acts in conjunction.

In the example of my invention shown each of the ratchetwvheels e e has one hundred teeth, and each complete rotation of the ratchet-wheel will cause a movement of the goods in a rectilinear plane a distance equal to the length of ten stitches. Therefore each ten teeth of the ratchet-wheel represents a movement of the goods equal to the length of one stitch. If the pin j drops into a notch in the pattern-wheel whose depth equals the combined width of ten sections 0 of the pattern-wheels, the ratchet-wheel will be moved a distance equal to ten teeth, and in like proportion for each notch into which the pin drops, according to its depth. The cams J T J 8 operate to throw the bars J J backward or toward the rear of the machine at each rotation of the main shaft sufficiently far to cause the pin j to move out of the notch, into which it has just previously been sprung, as far as the tenth outward circumferential section 0' or to the dotted line indicating the eleventh circumferential section. (Shown in Fig. 3.)

It is obvious that only one of the pattern wheels 0 C can be operating to rotate the feed-rollers at a time. A change from one to the other. and a consequent reversal of the direction of rotation of the feed-rollers, as the case may be, is produced by lifting the pawl e, which has been actuating a given ratchet-wheel, out of engagement with said ratchet-wheel, as previously explained. This is effected by causing the pin 7' of its corresponding bar J J to ride up from the tenth outer circumferential section onto the periphery of the pattern-wheel with which it acts. The pin is thus caused to ride upon the periphery of the wheel by means of therotation of the pattern-wheel itself, which is cam-shaped, as at 0 to admit of this. When this action takes place, the portion j of the barJ or J as the case may be, is moved so far to the rear of the machine that the arm e comes in contact with the pawl e and moves it out of engagement with the teeth of the ratchetwheel e or c with which it coacts. The slight movement of the section j, necessary to move the pin 7' onto the periphery of the wheel, is effected independently of the section 7" by means of the pin 0 and slot 0", previously de scribed.

It will be seen from the above that provision is made for varying the amounts of movement imparted to the feed-rollers throughout different periods of equal duration. \Vhen the pin 7' rides up on the periphery of the IIO cam, no motion is imparted to the section j by the cams fj I have shown a friction device T, comprising arms t, upon opposite sides of and bearng against the ratchet-Wheel d, whereby movement of said ratchet-Wheel in a contrary direction from that desired is prevented. This friction device is of ordinary construction.

Any number of rows of needles may be used, and these may be operated in any desired manner. In Figs. and 6 I have shown that more than one row of needles may be employed in the machine. In Fig. 5 two rows of needles are indicated, the needles of one row being arranged directly behind those of the other row. In Fig. 6 two rows of needles are delineated, the needles of one row being at a distance from and intermediate of the needles of the other rows, so that a line drawn between the needles of the two rows will be a zigzag line. The resultant movement of the goods beneath the needles is such as to produce the respective patterns delineated. The patterns may of course be changed at will by changing the pattern-cams.

I have filed an application for United States Letters Patent for an improvement in sewing-machines, No. 199,412,and dated April 19, 1886. In that application I show and describe means for causing a relative movement between sewing mechanism and a support for the goods, both fore and aft of the machine and from side to side of the machine in both directions, and rotary patterns for effecting such movements. 1 do not herein lay claim to anything claimed in said application.

VVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a quilting-machine, the combination,

with sewing mechanism comprising a reciprocating needle-bar, of a movable carriage, pattern mechanism for moving the carriage to and fro, feed-rollers arranged on opposite sides of the needle-bar, gearing connecting these feed-rollers so as to compel them to rotate in unison, and pattern mechanism causing the rotationof the feed-rollers in reverse directions, substantially as specified.

2. In a quilting-machine, the combination, with sowing mechanism comprising a reciprocating needle-bar, of a movable carriage, pattern mechanism for moving the carriage to and fro, feed-rollers, and pattern mechanism rotating the feed-rollers in reverse directions and varying the amounts of movement imparted to them throughout difierent periods of equal duration, subst-antiallyas specilied.

In a quilting-machine, the combination, with sewing mechanism and a carriage, of mechanism substantially such as described for imparting a to-and-fro motion to the carriage, feed-rollers for the Work arranged on opposite sides of the needles and positively driven, a pattern-wheel causing the rotation of said feed-rollers in one direction, and anotherpattern-wheel rotating said feed-rollers in a reverse direction, substantially as specifled.

MATTIIIAS KOCH.

Witnesses: lrEo. WADMAN, D. II. DRTSCOLL. 

